Jennifer Baker is joined by James Holtum, spokesperson for the ECR Group, to discuss the upcoming debate on the Tobacco Products Directive and the innovation on electronic cigarettes proposed by it.

The long-awaited vote on the directive may be just around the corner as a discussion on the topic is scheduled for this Strasbourg session of the European Parliament. The proposal aims to discourage young people from smoking and to cover electronic cigarettes and other issues not addressed in previous legislation. According to the draft, e-cigarettes are to be labelled as medical products, which would necessitate the same stringent testing as that of pharmaceuticals; however, this may also hinder the product’s availability.